Shedim (the 5th column)

It's fairly clear just from looking at the various superiors that Shedim
tend to come in two main types (ie. one more than Impudites and several less
than Habbalah). I see them as ultimately the most anarchic of all bands (not
only do they hate laws, it's also very difficult to tie them down and force
them to take responsibility for anything they do) -- so you could probably
describe two types of anarchist like this as well.

The first is the intellectual. This kind of demon is very interested in the
philosophy of evil and, given half an opportunity, will be more than happy
to discuss it over a few drinks. It can appear sly, urbane and highly
civilised, but it's still working as hard as it can towards the ultimate
downfall of humanity as we know it. They seduce humanity with learning,
knowledge, and power. It's easy for a Shedite like this to allow selected
hosts to become dependent on the demon's superior intellect and reasoning
skills, in preference to whatever the host could have done on its own. Of
course, the demon will tell the host to look out for itself first, and it
can make itself absolutely the voice of reason. They also enjoy having
philosophical discussions with would-be exorcists; and a competent Shedite
can turn an uninformed human like this into a new servant or ally very
easily. Evil has some very plausible front-men, especially when they speak
through the lips of an old friend.

The types of corruption they specialise in involve spreading dangerous ideas
and making them attractive to their hosts. Let a subtle, intellectual
Shedite loose in a police precinct and it won't take long for every officer
to lose their edge, consider taking bribes, and take a more cynical approach
to the job -- even the ones the demon never possesses will be influenced by
the ones it does. Typically they are very methodical about spreading
corruption, and approach each target as an interesting new project. Any type
of mortal hierarchy is very susceptible to Shedite infiltration like this.
All the demon has to do is possess one of the infuential mortals at the top
of the tree, and others will follow its example, if not its direct orders.

The other main Shedite type (mainly younger demons, but not limited to that)
is the juvenile delinquent. They like to leave trails of havoc and
destruction in their wake, and can run through hosts quite swiftly. I think
of these as being like BMX stunt riders -- very concerned with being rad and
trying to outdo each other in the bizarre stunts they can get their hosts to
do.

To follow this mindset, imagine that you have the ability to become
invisible. You can wander through the world and no-one will ever be able to
follow you or pin you down for anything that you do. So how long before you
try to pick something off someone else's desk, just to see if they'll
notice? How long before you sneak a free ride on a bus, or into a theatre?
Then, how long before you stop bothered to sneak, because they aren't going
to notice you anyway...?

Now, what if you could borrow other people's skins for a while, still
un-noticed. How long before you find someone you want to sleep with and
'borrow' their SO? No-one will ever know... How long before you think 'I
wonder what it's like to be in a car crash', and make someone crash their
car so that you can find out?

Shedim are very irresponsible demons. But why do you need to be responsible
when no-one can ever catch you doing anything? Someone else always has to
deal with the fallout of what the demon has done; because by that time, it
has moved on.

I imagine that even the most austere and intellectual Shedite sometimes
gives way to the same euphoria; it's just too tempting. It's particularly
tempting to keep pushing the limits -- see how far you can make your host go
before it breaks or gets picked up by the mortal authorities. They probably
keep a running tally back in Hell of which demons have pulled off the
wildest, scariest, most outrageous stunts. (Just like the BMX dudes...)

They don't argue intellectually with hosts, they're more like the voice in
your head that says 'I bet you wouldn't dare...', or 'C'mon, this is cool!'
They drown out the voice of a hosts conscience through sheer exuberance and
enthusiasm. Afterwards, of course, it's already too late... These Shedim
don't like it when people stop to think before they do something, they
prefer impulse evil, preferably way over the top...

Now the reason Princes need to try to keep their Shedite servitors focussed
is that, like Kyriotates, they are easily distracted. Distracted by
different types of things, but still not the most linear of thinkers. Like
their counterparts, they are also interested in experiencing as much of life
as possible, and the host is just a vehicle. It's like having a car with a
fairly advanced mapping system that can also drive itself. And most Shedim
don't really see humans as anything much more than that. Potential hosts,
waiting to be road-tested to destruction. Moving lego people that the demon
is allowed to play with.

It can be confusing, always having to share part of your thoughts with a
mortal, and it's only with experience that the demon will learn how to
firewall those parts off efficiently. Jumping from host to host can give an
uncentred demon a case of MPD -- a Kyrio is one mind in multiple bodies, a
Shedite has it the other way around. On the other hand, the demon can just
choose to lurk in the back of a host's mind, let the mortal deal with mortal
things, and only exert itself when it wants to push its own agenda, or gets
bored. So it's a nice lazy option, and many Shedim are just lazy if they
aren't pushed. Because of the access to mortal minds, they probably have the
easiest time of any demon in adjusting to Earth: they just let the host deal
with that stuff.